Nov. 16, 2013

Tim Smit / Nathan Papes/News-Leader

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Some of the biggest proposed county changes in 2014

• No more zoning or code complaint response • County administrator would retire, then return at half pay • Prosecutor’s Office is considering laying off five people • Public Administrator’s Office will only be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. • Building permits will not be issued the same day they are filed

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It’s like cash-strapped Greene County has been using a hatchet to cut budgets in the past. On Friday, out came the chainsaw.

In 2014, the county must balance roughly $2 million in increased costs against $1 million in increased revenue.

To come to that balanced budget, as required by state law, each general revenue department was asked to cut 10 percent from what officials say are already burdened budgets.

For most every department, that includes at least one layoff. On top of that, others are cutting employee hours or services.

Some department heads are cutting their own salaries.

While county commissioners have yet to make final decisions on anything regarding the budget, there seems to be no positive alternative to Friday’s recommendations.

County Administrator Tim Smith said county officials have had to adjust to the idea of doing less with less.

“You just finally run out of bodies for everything you have to do,” Smith said.

“We can’t provide the level of service we want to. But we’re going to have to accept that reality.”

He said the county has worked to stretch every dollar since the recession.

“We reached the point where there’s no more stretch,” he said.

Top officials worry about employees

While some department heads have opted to cut their own salaries, the most emotional moments of the meeting came from county leaders worrying about the impact on employees.

Eric Brower, purchasing director for the county, was upset when talking about the cuts his department has made.

His office of three people buys county office supplies as well as posts bids for county projects.

To make his office cuts, Brower is cutting his own pay by 20 percent. That didn’t seem to faze him.

But he was clearly emotional when talking about his decision to drop one full-time employee into a part-time position. He said the employee is raising her two grandchildren.

County Budget Officer Martha Mundt has also elected to take a 20 percent pay cut.

County Administrator Tim Smith said he intends to retire, then return to the county at half the pay.

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The details of the proposal, including whether he would draw retirement pay, were not discussed at length at the meeting.

The budget for his office took one of the more significant cuts. All spending in his department is for personnel: himself and his assistant.

In 2013, that line item made up $115,854. It is projected at $48,808 for 2014.

Leaders worry about retention, recruiting

Over and over again, county leaders talked about the dedication of their employees.

But near the end of the meeting, many questioned how long that dedication will last and how feasible replacing anyone will be in light of the financial situation.

“I don’t know anyone who would want to go work for a business that says, ‘We haven’t given a merit increase or any other kind of raise in years,’ ” said Paula Freemna, the county’s director of general services. “And by the way, we’re below market anyway.”

The county estimates the average pay from the county is 20 percent below comparable other employers.

Those benchmarks include similar government entities and businesses.

“Pats on the back only go so far,” Public Administrator David Yancey echoed.

County Clerk Richard Struckhoff voiced what many other leaders said they have been feeling — that the public doesn’t understand the needs of the county or how difficult things have been in recent years.

Struckhoff, one of the longest-serving county officeholders, said he’s no stranger to enduring cuts.

“We’ve been through some tough times here in the county,” he said. But he says the county is at a breaking point.

“I’ve had it with this,” Struckhoff said. “This has got to stop.”

Cuts will affect county services

In 2014, the county plans to no longer respond to complaints of zoning or code compliance. That means any complaints about trash reports, zoning violations or high grass in any county-only area won’t get a response.

Building permits will no longer be issued the same day they are filed, if changes take place.

Building inspections would only be done from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Inspectors now schedule visits between 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

The County Treasurer’s office would be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. when employees can make that happen, but if someone calls in sick or has another commitment, the office could close. Employees there would be working fewer hours.

The prosecutor’s office is considering laying off five employees.

Prosecutor Dan Patterson hopes there will be a way to avoid such cuts such as using surplus funds from the newest Law Enforcement Sales Tax.

No decision on that has been made.

The Public Administrator’s office would only be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The commission will meet Monday to again discuss cuts. Officials hope to have the entire budget complete by mid-December.